A Father's Mistake
by Puldoh
Summary: He didn't know all the rules. He was doing his best as a parent. Some risks he knew, others he didn't. He never expected the pure terror only a parent could feel.


They had just gone to sleep. A night of all nights, it was cool in the lair.

Their day had been excitable. Today they had gotten their coloured bandanas.

Blue for Leonardo, Red for Raphael, Purple for Donatello and Orange for Michelangelo.

Four sons, four sons he was proud of. And loved dearly.

He had sent them to bed, wearing their bandanas. They did not want to take it off, and Splinter did not think it would be a big deal.

How wrong he was.

How very wrong.

* * *

He woke up to a soft sniffle, a small cough and thought about checking on his sons. He laid there, warm in his own bed, before the concern enveloped him. Something inside him was screaming, 'CHECK ON THEM, CHECK ON THEM NOW'

Getting up, putting on his tattered housecoat, he headed towards his sons room. He had to check on them.

First, Leonardo was sleeping well. His bandanna had rubbed off and fell to the floor. Splinter smiled at his face, so peaceful. Leonardo was only 7 but he was a leader. He knew this.

Then he looked underneath, checking on Donatello in the bottom bunk. He too was sleeping soundly, his bandanna off to the side, carefully folded up. Donatello took such care for things that were important to him. He had a brilliant mind, a genius in his right, and dearly loved his brothers.

Walking over to the top bunk, he saw the covers had been kicked off his wild son. Raphael's bandanna had been tired to the metal ladder, like a flag almost. He smiled, knowing it was Raphael's work. His claim on his bed. He covered him back up and tucked him back in.

He glanced underneath, seeing his youngest son sleeping….but he reached over, a sense of something wrong. He was not moving. He was still. Michelangelo moved a lot while he slept. He was never this still. And his breathing....it was a soft sigh every time he exhaled. It sounded so cute.....but there was no sound, panicked, he pulled the blanket down.

He saw the bandanna had fallen around his son's throat, and while he didn't see a problem, he pulled the blanket away, showing his son's body. Watching for a deep breathe....

None came....

Worried, he glanced at the bandana around his throat, his heart clenched up when he saw it had wrapped around his youngest throat.

Tightly.

Michelangelo was being choked. He could not breathe!!!

He reached over, snatching him from the bed, his paws making quick work of the bandanna, taking it off carefully as not to harm him. Once he unwrapped it, he checked for a pulse.

A breathe.

Nothing….

"MY SON," he yelled, his heart beating frantically in fear. He started to move fast, remembering what the book said about CPR. He pushed down hard on his son's plastron, frantic, trying to get his son's heart beating again. He pushed again, and could hear his other sons waking up.

He wasn't breathing.

Nothing.

Michelangelo was still warm. He must have just stopped breathing....He was just not breathing. He checked his son's pulse, it was slow, thready, barely there.

He pushed again, panicking again when he felt a rib snap inside.

"Donatello, tell me, CPR, what else can one must do?" Splinter asked, panicked. '_He had broken a rib! Check your strength, you do not have to push so hard' _he scolded himself as he tried to calm himself down enough to listen to Donatello's explanation.

"Press on his ribcage, just enough pressure to go in. Breathe into his mouth, every 5 pushes," Don said, recalling the information he had read in Master Splinters medical book.

Splinter started pushing again, 5 times, and then breathed into Mikey's mouth….trying to get his youngest to breathe!!!

"My son, breathe, breathe!" he gasped as he pressed down once again. 3 more times, then as he pressed down the 4th time, he jumped, startled as Mikey shuddered, a loud gasp coming from his mouth.

Splinter's heart calmed and he murmured, "My son, shhh, it will be alright." Michelangelo's throat was bruised.

The orange cloth he had bestowed on his son, had ended up almost taking his son's life.

He did not know a cloth or anything like that, could do such damage. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he had ignored that gut warning to check his sons, thankful he had.

"Daddy?" Mikey whispered, his throat sore, burning. His lungs hurt too, like it was bruised. And when he tried to sit up, he gasped in pain. He was confused.

"My son, it is alright now. You….your….your bandana ended up choking you tonight. I am sorry my son. I did not know that would happen…" Splinter said, feeling the guilt build up. _He didn't remember reading in any of the books he found, that something like this would happen. And he had never had children….he didn't know!_

He felt the tears build up, sensing his others sons nearby. "My sons," he said brokenly. He picked up Mikey, who was quiet and injured. He was also confused. He held him close, "Come….you may sleep in my room," he whispered, carrying Mikey with him.

Mikey whimpered, his ribs hurt. He didn't know why, he whispered, "Pan..a" he said roughly. His throat was sore and it hurt. Throbbed. He didn't understand why daddy looked so scared, or so sad.

He looked confused so Mikey tried again, "Ma p..pana," pointing towards his bed. Beside where he laid was his stuffed panda that Raph had given him. Raph quickly grabbed it for him, handing it over.

"Ya 'kay Mikey?" he asked concerned. He had woken up to see Splinter pushing Mikey's chest. Breathing in his mouth. Saw the fear in his eyes. He didn't understand why but all he knew was Mikey had been hurt, and he was okay now.

" t'red" Mikey whispered, feeling weak. He felt himself lowered onto his daddies bed, and his eyes closed, and he fell asleep.

Splinter sat there, watching him, carefully. He had dodged a bullet tonight. His youngest could have easily suffocated because of that bandana. He shuddered, tears falling down his furry face as he thought of waking up to find his youngest son body the next morning if he hadn't on checked on him.

"Daddy…." he vaguely heard through his pain, he quickly checked on Mikey again, and sighed. Then realized one of his sons called him, glancing at them, he said, "Yes my sons?"

"Wha 'appen daddy? Why is Mikey sick?" Raph asked, concern in his golden brown eyes.

"Michelangelo….his bandana…" he took a deep breathe. "I did not know that his bandanna could hurt him. It wrapped around his throat. He could not breathe. I helped him," trying to explain it as simply as possible.

"He okay now though?" Donatello asked as well, his deep brown eyes gazing at his only little brother.

"He will be fine now. He is still sore. He will be fine," Splinter said quietly, glancing at his sleeping son.

He covered up his other sons, and stayed up that night, making sure Michelangelo slept well.

Never again would he allow his sons to wear their bandana to bed again.

He would learn from this mistake, and hope it's the last mistake he made as a parent.

* * *

**A/N: Never allow a child to sleep with anything thats remotely close to a rope, scarf, bandana, or anything. Even toys with string attached are dangerous. **


End file.
